The 32-year-old singer, after taking last season off, returns to her spot in the big, twirling red chair on NBC's hit reality series when it launches its fifth season on Monday.

At an intimate dinner with press Wednesday night in West Hollywood, the singer sounded hopeful that her time away has given her the recharge she needs to turn her fortunes around. What's the battle plan?

"I definitely realized a sales pitch is everything at first," she said, noting it's even harder this season as Blake Shelton's tactic now includes props (three trophies he made highlighting his wins). "He's got a good [sales pitch] this year."

When we spoke to host and executive producer Carson Daly earlier this summer during the Television Critics Assn. tour he emphasized the coaches' heated rivalry, particularly during the blind auditions.

"There's a lot of feistiness over Blake just because that guy has won it three years in a row. They've made it hard for Blake to get one of his 12 [contestants]." And Daly says the brass aren't concerned that the repeat wins bring the show down.

The two-hour premiere will have the coaches team up for a performance once more, with a rendition of "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" -- not Peaches & Herb's "Reunited," as we suggested to Daly earlier this summer.

"This is the original group that started the show," Daly said. "There's something special about that."

Watch the video above to hear more about what Daly said about "The Voice" -- like what was more awkward: hosting "TRL" when Mariah Carey went off the deep end with an ice cream cart, or being in a room with a contestant's loved one when the big red chairs don't turn around.